Dominika Cibulkova on the cover of Slovak magazine EVA. O.o
jueves, 6 de marzo de 2014
Dominika Cibulkova on the cover of Slovak magazine EVA. O.o
Dominika Cibulkova on the cover of Slovak magazine EVA. O.o
Vera Zvonareva return Top Ten in 2014?
Will Vera Zvonareva be able to return to anywhere close to her previous form prior to her injury? This is the question that is asked when her name is mentioned. Vera Zvonareva was one of the best tennis players in the world as recently as 2011 when she was ranked seventh in the world. However, in 2012 this Russian star was beset by both injury and illnesses for the first half of the Women’s Tennis season.
Her illness became so severe that she was forced to withdraw from the rest of her tournaments from July to the end of the season in November to recuperate.
In 2013 an injury to her right shoulder required surgery and she was forced to miss the entire year. If she is able to return by the beginning of January 2014 that will be almost 18 months without having played competitive tennis.
During her time away from the game Vera Zvonareva returned to school and earned her degree in International Economic Relations and she intends to continue her education while playing. Zvonareva has always been a talented player but she will be attempting to regain her playing form after 18 months away from the game. Most professional tennis players are unable to stay away a week from hitting a tennis ball and consider a month without tennis almost a punishment.
Vera Zvonareva has not hit a ball for over a year and a half and she has found something else that interests her. Successful professional athletes are usually tunnel vision individuals and when they start looking at different career options it is usually a sign that their career is winding down and they are preparing for their next career.
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| ZVONAREVA SEXY |
Vera Zvonareva will soon be thirty years old and has earned over $13 million over the course of her career. She will be starting from the bottom of standings in order to regain her ranking and that means she will encounter some of the toughest draws against women who have been working out during the time she has been unable to play. If Zvonareva decides to return to tennis she will have to rededicate herself completely to the game because she will literally be swimming upstream trying to compete against the younger players of today. Vera Zvonareva has a very difficult decision to make in 2014.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN NEWS. 5 MARCH 2014. ZVONAREVA OUT.
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| VERA ZVONAREVA |
Austrian Yvonne Meusburger set a second-round meeting with another former champion, seventh seed Jelena Jankovic, after defeating Iveta Melzer 6-4, 6-2. British qualifier Heather Watson beat Swiss wild card Belinda Bencic 7-5, 6-4 to earn a challenging second-round match with No. 2 seed Agnieszka Radwanska. In other matches, German Annika Beck fought past Swiss Stefanie Voegele 6-2, 2-6, 7-5; Belgian Yanina Wickmayer prevailed against Slovakian qualifier Anna Schmiedlova 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; and Canadian qualifier Sharon Fichman rallied past Israeli Shahar Peer 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Kimiko Date-Krumm and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova produced an upset in doubles action, knocking out sixth-seeded Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Safarova 6-2, 7-5.
NEWS BNP PARIBAS OPEN, 6 MARCH 2014.
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| KRISTINA MLADENOVIC |
Nineteen-year-old American Madison Keys impressed in her opening match at the BNP Paribas Open, racing past Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-1 in 53 minutes on the first day of main draw action. World No. 38 Keys, the highest ranked teenager in the Top 100, capitalized on all six of her break points and lost serve once against the 46th-ranked Pironkova. Keys is making her second main draw appearance in Indian Wells and will look to improve upon last year's second-round exit when she faces 13th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci.
Lauren Davis, 20, also advanced as she capitalized on five of her 20 break points in a 6-4, 6-3 win over Yung-Jan Chan on Stadium 1. Davis next meets third seed and 2012 champion Victoria Azarenka. Earlier Wednesday, wild card Shelby Rogers became the first American to reach the second round as she dismissed Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-0, 6-4.
The 23-year-old South Carolina native is making her Indian Wells debut. Varvara Lepchenko joined her countrywomen as Day 1 winners, defeating qualifier Alison Van Uytvanck 6-2, 6-2 in the last match on Stadium 2. Meanwhile, over on Stadium 1, Christina McHale lost to Australian qualifier Casey Dellacqua 7-6(4), 6-4.
McHale had reached her first WTA final last week in Acapulco.
Two other Americans also bowed out in their first-round matches Wednesday. Alison Riske was unable to maintain her lead against Serbian Bojana Jovanovski, falling 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Jovanovski next meets 2011 winner Caroline Wozniacki, the No. 10 seed.
Qualifier Allie Kick lost to Japan's Kurumi Nara 6-4, 6-0. Nara goes on to face No. 6 seed Simona Halep of Romania.
miércoles, 5 de marzo de 2014
NEWS 5 MARCH 2014, BNP PARIBAS OPEN. MAIN DRAW SINGLES COMPLETED
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| Barbora Zahlavova Strycova |
Eighteen-year-old American Allie Kiick will make her debut in the main draw of the BNP Paribas Open after defeating Belgian An-Sophie Mestach 6-4, 7-5 Tuesday in Indian Wells, while fellow American Madison Brengle failed to advance with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Italian Camila Giorgi. The two British players in action Tuesday also produced mixed results in the final round of qualifying. Heather Watson defeated Brazil’s Teliana Pereira 6-2, 6-2, while Johanna Konta fell to Australian Casey Dellacqua 6-4, 6-3. Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm, a former semi-finalist in Indian Wells, was denied a place in the main draw, 23 years after she first qualified for the tournament. She lost to Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.
Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, the top seed in the qualifying draw, prevailed against the Netherland’s Michaella Krajicek 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(4) after two hours and 14 minutes. Meanwhile, Slovakian Anna Schmiedlova beat Ukraine’s Nadiya Kichenok 6-4, 6-4.
martes, 4 de marzo de 2014
Lucie Safarova takes in the sites of the Coachella Valley from aboard a hot air balloon.
Lucie Safarova takes in the sites of the Coachella Valley from aboard a hot air balloon
Bnp Paribas Open 2014.
Lucie Safarova and her team get ready to take a hot air balloon ride over the Coachella Valley
INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN 2014. NEWS 4 MARCH 2014.
Sharapova has won four of their five past meetings, but Li enters at a career-high No. 2 ranking following her triumph at the Australian Open. Li opens against the winner between Paula Ormaechea and Zheng Jie, and could face eighth seed Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals. Kvitova could play two-time finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round. Sharapova meets either Jana Cepelova or Julia Goerges in her first match since serving as a correspondent and torch bearer at the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The Russian could face Sam Stosur in the Round of 16, with possible quarter-final opponents including fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber, 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic or American Sloane Stephens. The 32-year-old Li is looking to reach the Indian Wells final for the first time, while the 26-year-old Sharapova claimed the title in 2006 and ’13 and also finished runner-up in 2012 (l. to Azarenka).
Agnieszka Radwanska is the highest seed in the bottom half of the draw, and could face a quarter-final match-up with one of two former champions: Jelena Jankovic (2010), who participated in Monday’s draw ceremony, or Caroline Wozniacki (2011). Third seed Victoria Azarenka begins her bid to reclaim the title she won in 2012 against either American Lauren Davis or a qualifier. Azarenka could come up against two-time champion Daniela Hantuchova in the third round.
The pair met last year in the second round, a match the Belarusian won in straight sets. Azarenka is seeded to meet sixth seed Simone Halep in the quarter-finals, with Sara Errani, Eugenie Bouchard and Lucie Safarova serving as other seeded possibilities. Women’s main draw action gets underway Wednesday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Sharapova unveils Sugarpova Toppings exclusively for Pinkberry at Pinkberry.
March 2014.
Taking a little break from her tennis activities for the day, Maria Sharapova made her way over to Pinkberry to launch her new Sugarpova Toppings in LA today (February 27).
Looking fantastic in the ice cream store, the 26-year-old blondie sported a sequined tan top with a cream-colored skirt and a pair of cute designer heels, posing with a group of children as they made their way in.
Excited for the event, the professional tennis babe posted a picture of herself completing her workout for the day, captioning it, "The real work just finished...
Time to get ready for@Pinkberry launch. #sugarpova." Later, as she greeted her stylists, Maria included another picture of herself getting gussied up for the event, writing, "Being silly.
Getting ready for @pinkberry Sugarpova launch @hairbyadir."
lunes, 3 de marzo de 2014
NEW STADIUM 2. BNP PARIBAS OPEN 2014. INDIAN WELLS TENNIS GARDEN.
Less than a year after some of the best tennis players in the world helped break ground on the Stadium 2 and site expansion project, they’ll return to a completely finished Indian Wells Tennis Garden – and a brand new BNP Paribas Open. “What’s really hit me is the entire site has been transformed,” said IWTG CEO Raymond Moore, a former owner and managing partner of the tournament. “It’s completely different from anything that’s been here for 15 years. I don’t want to be negative of the site before, but it always had this feeling of being unfinished. Now it’s finished.” Finished – and glimmering – to put it simply. The new Stadium 2 seats 8,000 fans, bringing the Garden’s seating capacity to 41,485, a 17% increase from 2013. Tournament officials expect a whopping 420,000 fans to stream through the gates this year, up from a record-setting 382,227 a year ago. “It’s not the brick and mortar, it’s the experience that goes with it,” said tournament director Steve Simon. “And the elements that have to go with it to enhance the brick and mortar. It’s the whole package that makes it special.” While the numbers are staggering – the new stadium also has three permanent restaurants inside of it – the fan experience has been elevated, as Simon noted.
Wi-Fi is now offered throughout the site, some 400-plus Date Palm trees were added, 16 acres of new turf and a new 19,000 square-foot shade structure. “I think when people walk in they are just going to be blown away,” Simon said. “It’s an entirely new venue.” That is abundantly apparent at the East Entry, the newly-created gate where fans get a glimpse of Stadium 2 before entering a bank of the smaller, yet appealing stadiums to their left. It’s all lined with some of the 17,905 shrubs brought in to help keep “garden” a meaningful part of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden name. “The impact this will have on people will be fun to watch,” Simon added. “I don’t think they have any idea the magnitude of what’s been going on.” It has been quite well known that Nobu Indian Wells, the famous Japanese restaurant, Chop House, award-winning steaks and chops and Piero’s PizzaVino, with its Neapolitan pies, would be a part of the expansion, adding world-class food to the world-class tennis. Inside the intimate Stadium 2, general admission ticket holders have an abundance of opportunity to see world-class tennis up-close as some of the 3,000 lower-bowl seats are available to them. Up above, fans experience seamless sight lines and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, as well.
After ground was broken on site last year with the help of tournament owner Larry Ellison and former champions Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic, crews from Watkins Landmark Construction worked for 10 months building and readying the new site and expansion pieces. “This is a landmark, a monument in the desert,” said Jody Watkins, the company’s founder. “I think everyone treated it as such. A lot of people did not treat this as punch-the-clock and go to work. There is an artistic element to the work the subcontract people have done on this project. There’s a pride of work that every single person exudes.” Some of that pride was used on the 28,300 linear feet (or 5.35 miles) of quarry tile used on the perimeter walls of Stadium 2. The aesthetic is apparent, but the masterminds behind the project, including Keisker & Wiggle Architects, were thinking beyond that. “The things we would want to design in, it was always, ‘What is the guest experience going to be? What is the player experience going to be?’ ” said Gary Wiggle, the stadium architect. In this instance, bigger really does mean better. “We want to make sure we grow right so we’re not diminishing the experience people are having because we’re packing it so full that it’s no fun being here,” Simon concluded. “A lot of what was built in here was infrastructure, so with more people, you can still have the same experience.”
NEWS RANKING WTA 3 MARCH 2014. All-Time Most Weeks At No.1.
It's official - with the new WTA Rankings representing the two weeks of March 3 and March 10, 2014, Serena Williams will spend her 178th and 179th weeks as the No.1 player in the world, which means she will pass her childhood idol, Monica Seles, for fifth place on the all-time list for weeks at No.1. "I never dreamed of this," Williams told wtatennis.com. "I remember when I passed her on the Grand Slams list it was really huge for me, because when you grow up watching someone and you're thinking, 'Oh my God, oh my God, they're so awesome,' to then be on their level is just pretty amazing. "I never thought it would happen. I never even thought about it, really." Just how much did Williams look up to Seles?
"Monica was my favorite player - I think she was pretty much everyone's favorite player," she said. "I wanted to be like her. I wanted to do everything like her. I even styled my grunt after hers - I kind of changed it and made it my own. But Monica always inspired me - I've always loved Monica."
All-Time Most Weeks At
No.1 Steffi Graf (377)
Martina Navratilova (332)
Chris Evert (260)
Martina Hingis (209)
Serena Williams (178 & 179 this fortnight)
Monica Seles (178)
domingo, 2 de marzo de 2014
The brand new Stadium 2 was officially open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden 2014
INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA
The brand new Stadium 2 was officially opened on Saturday night at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, home of the BNP Paribas Open - which kicks off on Wednesday. An exhibition event - the McEnroe Challenge for Charity presented by Esurance - was the opening act, featuring John McEnroe, Jim Courier and doubles legends Peter Fleming and Rick Leach playing a series of singles and doubles matches. The night of exhibitions raised $80,000 for local charities. Stadium 2 seats 8,000 and includes three full-service restaurants - Nobu, Chop House and Piero's PizzaVino. It's one of several parts of the expansion project that began at last year's event, which also includes a 19,000 square foot shade structure, 16 acres of new turf and more than 400 new trees.
"Stadium 2 was meant to be a different experience than the main stadium," BNP Paribas Open Tournament Director Steve Simon said in a recent interview with wtatennis.com "It is half the size so we changed the size of the court and the site lines to make it very intimate. We wanted Stadium 2 to have more of a restaurant experience where any fan could participate, so we integrated three new marquee restaurants: Nobu, Piero's PizzaVino and Chop House. Two of those restaurants actually have seating where people will be able to watch Stadium 2 matches while they are dining. All of them have patio areas.
We have also integrated six other eating installations within the stadium and three of them feed another 19,000 square feet shade structure we built. It's all about a unique experience." Since 2000, the BNP Paribas Open has been held at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which features a 16,100-seat main stadium - the second-largest in the world. Among its many innovations are becoming the first event in the world to offer the Hawk-Eye challenge system on every match court in 2011 and the first ATP-WTA combined event to award $1 million in prize money to each of its singles champions in 2012. This year, Hawk-Eye will be added for the qualifying rounds.
DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA WIN IN ACAPULCO 2014.
ACAPULCO, Mexico, March 2014
Dominika Cibulkova beat American Christina McHale 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 on Saturday to win the Mexican Open. The top-seeded Slovak, runner-up in the Australian Open in January, won her fourth career title and first since Stanford in 2013.
"It was a tough match, I'm really tired, I had to dig deep physically and mentally," Cibulkova said. "She was very aggressive and kept coming back, but it's a final and thanks to my experience I was able to do it." The 21-year-old McHale, ranked 70th, reached her first tour title match. Previously, her best results were two semifinals in Quebec, in 2010 and 2011.
"I'm a little bit sad because I didn't win, but at the same time I know that Dominika is a very good player and I fought until the end," McHale said. "I learned that I have the capacity to go far in tournaments, that I'm capable of playing against the best, so I'm going to keep working every day to get better." McHale is one of six Americans aged under 25 who are between 18 and 70 in the WTA rankings, along with Lauren Davis (64), Alison Riske (46), Madison Keys (38), Jamie Hampton (31) and Sloane Stephens (18), and they represent the next generation of U.S. talent as the Williams sisters come toward the end of their careers. "There are several Americans going up in the rankings, we are pushing each other to be better," McHale said.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN 2014, 5-16 MARCH , TOURNAMENT INFO
TOURNAMENT INFO
Tier: Premier
Prize Money: $5,946,740
Surface: Hard
Director: Steve Simon
The BNP Paribas Open is the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Since 2000, it has been held at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which features a 16,100-seat stadium - the second-largest in the world. The venue sits in the Coachella Valley, known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, making it a perfect setting for professional tennis. Debuting as a men's event in 1976, the women came to Indian Wells the week before the men in 1989 and then concurrently in 1996. Now held just before Miami's Sony Open Tennis in March, the two-week event has evolved into a 'Premier Mandatory', making it one of the WTA calendar's four most prestigious stops. Among Indian Wells' many accolades are being named the WTA's Premier Tournament Of The Year four times - in 1997, 2005, 2006 and 2009; becoming the first event in the world to offer the Hawk-Eye challenge system on every match court in 2011; and becoming the first ATP/WTA combined tournament to distribute $1 million in prize money to each of its singles champions in 2012. Indian Wells champions include WTA legends Lindsay Davenport, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles, and more recently 21st century superstars Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. Lisa Raymond has the tournament doubles record with seven titles.
sábado, 1 de marzo de 2014
Wells Tennis Garden, it was announced "WC" 2014. BNP Paribas Open
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| DONNA VEKIC "WC" IN INDIAN WELLS |
Former top five players Nadia Petrova and Vera Zvonareva; Americans Donald Young, Jack Sock, Ryan Harrison, Steve Johnson, Rhyne Williams, Coco Vandeweghe, Shelby Rogers, Vicky Duval and Taylor Townsend; and Donna Vekic and Belinda Bencic were granted wildcards into the main draws of the BNP Paribas Open, to be held March 3 - 16 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, it was announced today by Tournament Director Steve Simon.
Russia’s Nadia Petrova has won 13 career WTA single titles and 24 doubles crowns. The former World No. 3 has reached nine Grand Slam quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals twice.
Fellow Russian star and 2009 BNP Paribas Open champion Vera Zvonareva has 12 career WTA singles triumphs and six doubles titles. The former World No. 2 also has two Grand Slam finals appearances. Two other international players receiving main draw wildcards are 17-year-old Croatian Donna Vekic, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 62 in 2013 and 16-year-old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who advanced to the second round of the Australian Open earlier this year.
“This year’s main draw wildcards span from established veterans, to rising American and international stars,” said Simon. “Awarding wildcards to players like Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva, Donald Young, Jack Sock and others, add to the excitement for fans and provide the potential for these deserving athletes to make a run at the BNP Paribas Open.
” Qualifying wildcards were given to Americans Raymond Sarmiento, Stefan Kozlov, Clay Thompson, Irina Falconi, Madison Brengle, Grace Min and Allie Kiick, Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinaxis and the United Kingdom’s Heather Watson.
KLARA ZAKOPALOVA WIN´S IN BRASIL TENNIS CUP 2014.
FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil (AP)
Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic won her third WTA singles title by coming from the brink of defeat to beat Garbine Muguruza of Spain 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 in the Brazil Cup final on Saturday.
Playing in her third final this year, the 32nd-ranked Zakopalova won 11 straight games to win the match in 2 hours, 12 minutes, securing her first trophy since 2005.
She had lost 12 straight finals, including to Kurumi Nara of Japan at the Rio Open last weekend. Muguruza was leading 6-4, 5-2 and serving for the match when she suddenly couldn't win another game.
The 20-year-old Spaniard, ranked 36th, had beaten Zakopalova in the final in Hobart, Australia, in January, which marked her first career title.
BNP PARIBAS OPEN. 5-16 MARCH 2014, TOURNAMENT INFO.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Tier: Premier
Prize Money: $5,946,740
Surface: Hard
Director: Steve Simon
The BNP Paribas Open is the most attended tennis event in the world outside of the four Grand Slams. Since 2000, it has been held at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which features a 16,100-seat stadium - the second-largest in the world. The venue sits in the Coachella Valley, known for its 354 days of sunshine a year, making it a perfect setting for professional tennis. Debuting as a men's event in 1976, the women came to Indian Wells the week before the men in 1989 and then concurrently in 1996. Now held just before Miami's Sony Open Tennis in March, the two-week event has evolved into a 'Premier Mandatory', making it one of the WTA calendar's four most prestigious stops. Among Indian Wells' many accolades are being named the WTA's Premier Tournament Of The Year four times - in 1997, 2005, 2006 and 2009; becoming the first event in the world to offer the Hawk-Eye challenge system on every match court in 2011; and becoming the first ATP/WTA combined tournament to distribute $1 million in prize money to each of its singles champions in 2012. Indian Wells champions include WTA legends Lindsay Davenport, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles, and more recently 21st century superstars Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki. Lisa Raymond has the tournament doubles record with seven titles.
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